A new program is helping journalists produce more impactful stories on gun violence by making the “violence survivor community more readily accessible.” The Survivor Connection, launched in February by The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting (PCGVR), “promises to facilitate more empathetic, ethical and impactful news reporting in the city by bridging a gap between journalists and the survivor community,” according to a news release.
The program, led by Gun violence survivor and PCGVR’s newsroom liaison Oronde McClain, will maintain a database that enables journalists to connect with “hundreds of community members with lived experience of gun violence” to broaden the narrative on firearm violence beyond the usual police reporting. The community experts on the directory are from the Philadelphia area, but the organization plans to expand to other cities.
“For far too long, the people, facts, and solutions that should be at the core of conversations about this public health crisis have been passed over, ignored, overlooked and undervalued,” McClain said in a statement. “It’s time to amplify the voices of those impacted most.”
McClain, a Philadelphia community journalist who has worked for PCGVR since 2022, was injured in a drive-by shooting at 10 years old. He acts as a liaison between journalists and community members and has advocated for better gun violence reporting across the country, according to PCGVR.
How it works
After registering for an account, reporters can access The Survivor Connection’s database, which has contact information for more than 120 “lived-experience experts” who have either survived a firearm injury or have lost someone to gun violence. These experts have received training in trauma, media literacy and public health prevention strategies.
In a video that plays before registering for the database, McClain asks reporters to do three things when reaching out to the experts: be kind, be empathic and commit to practicing trauma-informed journalism. McClain says practicing trauma-informed journalism includes creating a safe space for survivors, taking time to explain what you need from them and always keeping in mind the trauma they’ve endured.
Check out our tip sheet for more on trauma-informed reporting.
“I know from my conversations with journalists that they don’t want to cause harm,” McClain said. “This tool will help them tell solutions-forward stories that are healing, humanizing and impactful.”
The experts’ names and other information are categorized by neighborhood on a secure portal available only to approved journalists who have watched an instructional video. Hundreds more experts have expressed interest in joining the program.
PCGVR also recently published new research identifying the 12 common elements of news reporting that are harmful to people, communities and society at large. Among those elements: narratives that leave out the perspectives of community members and/or people injured in shootings. This new database will help reporters reach out to more of those valuable sources.
